1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a warning system, and in particular relates to an emergency vehicle warning system comprising a transmitter unit positioned within an emergency vehicle, and a receiver unit positioned within a passenger vehicle, wherein upon receipt of an activation signal from the approaching emergency vehicle, the receiver unit provides an audible alert, and additionally displays the relative position of the emergency vehicle upon a display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
While driving in a passenger vehicle along a road, it is the responsibility of every driver to yield the right of way to an approaching emergency vehicle such as a fire truck, an ambulance, or a police car. This generally involves pulling over to the far right of the road in order to give the emergency vehicle enough room to drive by quickly and safely. However, there is often not enough time between the time the driver hears the siren of the emergency vehicle and the time at which the emergency vehicle reaches the passenger vehicle for the driver to yield the right of way. Accordingly, there is a need for an emergency vehicle warning system having a transmitter unit positioned within an emergency vehicle and having a receiver unit positioned within a passenger vehicle, wherein receipt of an activation signal from the transmitter unit causes the receiver unit to emit an audible alert and to display the relative position of the emergency vehicle upon a display panel, thereby giving the driver of the passenger vehicle enough time to pull over to the side of the road or to take other evasive action as necessary.
A variety of emergency vehicle warning systems have been devised. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,560 to Mulanax appears to show an emergency vehicle warning system comprised of a transmitter carried by an emergency vehicle and a radio frequency receiver capable of alerting the driver of a passenger vehicle. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,160,493 to Smith appears to show a warning system for alerting a driver of potential hazards such as the approach of an emergency vehicle, comprising a transmitter and receiver pair. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,522 to Warren appears to show a warning system which converts audio signals from an emergency vehicle into discrete signals, and which alerts passenger vehicles by audio and/or visual alarms. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,778 to Oshumi appears to show a warning system which operates upon the generation and receipt of radio signals.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.